Elevated carrier.



H. H. DREW. ELEVATED CARRIER.

APPLIOATION FILED SH12, 1910.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

stimata rre.

HERBERT H. DREW, OF WATERLOO, WISCONSIN.

ELEVATED CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

Application led September 2, 1910. Serial No. 580,225.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT H. DREW, a citizen of the United States, andresident of W'aterloo, in the county of Jefferson and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElevatedCarriers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, effective andeconomically constructed trolley mechanism for carriers or the like, theconstruction and arrangement being such that pairs of oppositelydisposed oblique suspension-rods spaced apart and connected to a rigidload-supporting beam and trolleysupported hangers insure the trolleysbeing automatically held in perfect alinement with the track upon whichthey are adapted to travel, whereby side play'is eliminated. Thus theflanges of the trolleys are held from frictional contact with the trackand as a result said trolleys are insured from climbing or jumping saidtrack, while, at the same time, detrimental wear upon the parts, due toside play, is eliminated with consequent retardation of speed.Furthermore, by this peculiar arrangement of the load-suspension device,swing of the load from perfect alinement with the track is overcome.This is due to the fact that any twist or side play of the load willcause torsion of the oblique rods and consequently the load will act toautomatically return the said rods from their twisted position toalinement, while at the same time the oblique arrangement of the rodswith relation to the load serves to hold the trolleys and hangersrigidly in a lateral direction and thus retardation of the speed causedthrough back draft or drag imparted to the trolleys through momentum ofthe load is eliminated.

With the above objects in view the invention consists in certainpeculiarities of construction and combination of parts as set forthhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequentlyclaimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a side elevation of an overheadcarrier having trolleys embodying the features of my invention mountedupon a portion of a suspended track; Fig. 2, a detail plan sectionalview of the same as indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1, in which view theload-supporting beam is shown deflected to more clearly illustrate theabnormal position assumed by the load-suspension rods when the carrieris twisted, and Fig. 3, a detail cross-section of the trolley mechanismas indicated by line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring by characters to the drawings, 1 represents a load-supportingbeam to which is trunnioned a hopper 2, the same constituting a carrierand is adapted to be locked with relation to the beam by means Aof anysuitable mechanism, not shown, the

hopper and its connections in this instance forming no part of myinvention.

The hangers 3 carry trunnions 4, upon which are mounted trolley-wheels4a, which trolley-wheels, as illustrated, are supported upon the usualwire 5 that constitutes an overhead track. The base 6 of each hanger isprovided with apertures that are spaced apart upon opposite sides of animaginary line drawn through the trolley-wheel axes and swiveled inthese apertures are hooked ends 7 of oppositely disposed obliquesuspension rods 7a, lower hooked ends of the suspension rods beingswiveled in apertures with which the beam 1 is provided. By the swivelconnect-ions and arrangement of the suspensionnrods, it will be seenthat the load will automatically hold the trolleys in their propervertical positions with relation to the beam 1, the pulleys havingabsolutely no end-sway and will stand in rigid connection with the beamin a longitudinal direction, thus making the carrier responsive, theflexibility obtained by the shackle connection in a lateral directionhaving no effect upon the rigidity longitudinally.

When the carrier is started upon its travel, should the load be swayedto one side by momentum, this movement will not affect the position ofthe wheels upon the track as they will readily adapt themselves to astraight or curved track owing to the flexibility of the connection andthe torsion or twist of the suspension-rods will permit play of the loadwithout aiecting the wheel alinement. Thus the wheels will center uponthe track so perfectly that they will run thereon without causing theirflanges to contact with the wire and thus friction is avoided, it beingpractically impossible to throw the wheels from the track by side twistof the load, wheel-guards or catches being thereby eliminated. Thetrolleywheels, furthermore, are free to oscillate and adjust themselvesto any position by tipping and swinging in such a manner that the trackis centered in the groove of the wheels in their correct runnin@position at all times. Furthermore, by utilizing the suspension devicejust described, I am enabled to eliminate springs, swivel-pins andvarious adjusting devices and, owing to the fact of the perfectalinement obtained, the load will travel a greater distance under theimpetus of a given power and run smoothly, the device being of suchsimplicity that it will withstand the greatest degree of usage withoutwear and is safe to operate, while, at the same time, the arrangement ofsuspension-rods will cause the device to automatically return toalinement under the track, should the load be deiiected by inexperiencedoperators. It will be also observed that the suspension-rods may bereadily disconnected, as well as the other parts, for shipment, the samebeing capable of ready assemblage by those unskilled in mechanics, theessential feature of the invention, as explained in detail, being thearrangement of the suspension-rods, whereby they are connected inoblique pairs to hangers and spaced apart with relation to the center oft-he hanger with their opposite ends connected to a loadsupporting beam,the connection between the beam and hangers bein flexible or shackled,whereby yield is ha in a lateral direction.

I claim:

l. A carrier suspension device for overhead tracks comprising a pair ofindependent hangers having trolley-wheels mounted therein, aloadsupporting beam, and pairs of suspension-rods, those in each pairbeing angularly disposed with relation to each other and having theirconverging ends spaced apart in yielding connection with a hanger, thediverging ends of Said rods being in yielding connection with said beam.

2. A carrier suspension device for overhead tracks comprising a pair ofindependent hangers having trolley-wheels mounted therein, the hangersbeing provided at their respective bases with apertures that are spacedapart, a load-supporting beam having pairs of apertures therein, ahopper carried by the beam, and pairs of suspension-rods having hookends, each pair of rods being angularly disposed with relation to eachother with their hook ends fitted in the apertures of a hanger and theiropposite ends hooked in the apertures of the supporting beam.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand atWaterloo in the county of Jefferson and State of Wisconsin in thepresence of two witnesses.

HERBERT I'I. DREW.

Witnesses:

E. M. SNOW, T. A. WILLIAMS.

